Chapter 336: The Mountain King Appears

All of this happened in but a moment, and Yuan Yao handled everything on her own.

Cang Li and Ying Wuji couldn't help glancing at Yuan Yao.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yuan Yao turned her head and saw the two of them staring at her.

Cang Li let out a deep sigh, "Yuan Yao, you really… are getting stronger and stronger."

Yuan Yao heard this and the corner of her lips twitched.

"So, I'm stronger than you now," she said haughtily.

Cang Li's expression grew solemn as he said, "No, compared to me, you are still slightly inferior."

Yuan Yao: "……"

Cang Li was solemn for only three seconds before he asked, "Is there any formation left here?"

Yuan Yao heard this, instantly released her own spiritual energy, and after a moment shook her head, "There shouldn't be any."

Ying Wuji said, "We need to be more careful on the road ahead."

"Let's go."

Soon after the three of them left, several snow beasts appeared on the spot.

They fixed their gaze on the three figures in the distance.

The sky grew darker, and wind and snow whirled like unbridled wild horses, making the already bone‑chilling cold even more severe.

Ying Wuji lowered his eyes to the map in his hand and said gravely, "We still have two‑thirds of the distance to the target location."

Cang Li suddenly felt like a deflated balloon, sighing weakly, "We've only covered a third of the journey…"

He grimaced and wailed, "I really want to refine pills!"

He hadn't refined any pills for several days, and his hands that brew pills itched like they were being scratched by a cat, unbearably ticklish.

Yuan Yao looked up at him, "Third senior brother, you wouldn't think of giving up halfway, would you?"

"How could I possibly give up halfway? I was just complaining," Cang Li said, his cheeks frozen red, his eyebrows and eyelashes frosted, and he sniffed from the cold.

Seeing his listless demeanor, Yuan Yao took three skewers of candied hawthorn from storage. She handed two of them to Cang Li and Ying Wuji, saying, "Have some."

Cang Li's eyebrows lifted, his spirit instantly revived; he reached out, took it, and bit down in one gulp.

The sweet‑sour crispness spread through his mouth—it was simply delicious.

Ying Wuji's phoenix‑like eyes held a faint smile as he also reached for a skewer of candied hawthorn.

He said, "A blizzard may fall tonight; we need to find a place to shelter from the wind and snow."

"Alright," Yuan Yao replied with a smile.

But before they could finish the candied hawthorn, the smiles on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by a solemn expression.

They simultaneously lifted their heads, scanning the surroundings warily.

It was deep night; under the shrouding darkness, the gale roared like angry waves, whipping up snow that filled the sky, leaving the world in chaotic haze.

Amid the raging snow, strange white silhouettes silently emerged, as if burrowing out from the darkness; they moved swiftly and soundlessly, surrounding the three of them in the blink of an eye.

Among them was the fifth‑rank pinnacle snow beast they had encountered before.

Its body was massive, like a small hill.

Even more intimidating was the small snow beast beside it.

The small snow beast surprisingly possessed a pair of rare golden pupils, with a mysterious seal resembling a golden gem embedded at its brow, a pair of sharp horns on its head, and its facial expression seemed unusually vivid.

It exuded an unfathomably deep aura of power.

Just as Yuan Yao was about to retrieve the Teleportation Scroll—

Suddenly, the small snow beast spoke in human words, "You are not welcome here."

Finally, it added, "You killed our kin, you deserve death!"

As soon as the words ended, the snowflakes suspended in midair suddenly halted, and the next moment they raged toward Yuan Yao and the others!

Ying Wuji drew the Heavenly Destiny Sword and swung, a "Boom—" resounding explosion, the sword aura cleaved all the snowflakes, turning them into powder.

Yuan Yao acted decisively, activating the Teleportation Scroll; just as their bodies were about to be whisked away by the teleportation power—

"Roar!"

The small snow beast let out a thunderous roar that rolled like thunder, shattering the teleportation force; in the next instant its body appeared before the three of them, it slammed a palm onto the ground, causing the earth to collapse with a boom, the surrounding snow mountains instantly exploded and cracked, hurling stones everywhere!

Yuan Yao and the others instantly fell into a massive pit.

Seeing the small snow beast about to gather a terrifying aura, it struck down with a palm toward their heads.

"Nine‑fold Moon Full Sky!"

"Dual‑layer Life‑and‑Death Blades!"

"Horizontal Thunder Form, Forgetful River Spear!"

The three simultaneously unleashed their techniques, countering the opponent's attack.

Boom—

A deafening blast rang out.

The air rippled and twisted, and Yuan Yao and the others felt a tight pressure in their chests.

Yuan Yao immediately gathered spiritual energy to attack the small snow beast.

Buzz!

The two sides' spiritual energies collided abruptly.

Seizing the opening, Ying Wuji slashed upward with his sword, breaking through the opponent's suppressing barrier.

Immediately, he leapt upward, raised his sword toward the small snow beast, and swung; the sword aura surged across, its sharpness suffocating.

A long spear sweep sent the sword wind instantly slicing the small snow beast's flesh.

At that moment, Yuan Yao and Cang Li also sprang out of the deep pit, and as soon as they emerged, the fifth‑rank pinnacle snow beast fixed its gaze on them.

The two instantly raised their weapons to block the opponent's fierce attack.

Boom!

The two were knocked back more than ten steps.

The fifth‑tier pinnacle snow beast slapped forward with a palm, as if ten thousand jin of force pressed on their heads, and the two turned ashen.

Yuan Yao lifted her sword and rose.

"Taihuang Sword Technique, Cross‑Slash!"

The "Cross" sword qi burst forth in an instant, but was crushed by the snow beast's power.

Cang Li's Thunder Blade technique was also shattered.

At the critical moment, the black‑clothed youth flickered, managing to slip out of the fierce battle with the small snow beast and strike the fifth‑tier pinnacle snow beast with a sword!

Boom!

With a booming roar, the massive sword blade flipped the fifth‑tier pinnacle snow beast onto the ground, leaving a deep blood scar across its chest.

The small snow beast, seeing this, narrowed its eyes suddenly, showing a dangerous look.

Ying Wuji's body tensed, as if locked by some dangerous aura.

The small snow beast flashed, its speed astonishing, and before Ying Wuji could react, its claws lunged at his chest, as if to gouge out his heart!

"Youngest Senior Brother!"

Buzz—

Yuan Yao instantly spread her spiritual energy and surged toward the small snow beast.

She forced its movement to lag for an instant.

In that split second, Ying Wuji quickly stepped back, raised his sword, and slashed at the small snow beast!

The small snow beast blocked it with a palm!

"Yao Yao, you and Third Senior Brother go first!" Ying Wuji said.

"No way!"

"Just leave this to me to handle."

"But…" Yuan Yao's expression shifted, and before she could finish, the fifth‑tier pinnacle snow beast attacked again.

Cang Li raised his spear to block the attack, but was flipped onto the ground, spitting a mouthful of fresh blood that stained the pure snow like specks of red plum, his face turning pale in an instant; he forced himself to roll up quickly.

At the same time, countless snow beasts swarmed around them.

"Quick!" Ying Wuji urged, knowing that with the small snow beast present, the three of them could not use the teleportation scroll to escape together.

Because that small snow beast is…

Suddenly, a thin, cold voice sounded.

"I want the Mountain King's Beast Pill."

Yuan Yao's eyes flickered, and following the voice she looked; not far away on the summit of the snow mountain stood a white‑clothed youth wearing a ghost mask, a jade‑green gourd hanging at his waist, and behind him a slightly wavy hair tail lifted by the wind, blazing red like flames.